Greetings from LifeIssues.net (www.LifeIssues.net)
Dear Friends for Life,
Christianity in Europe is coming to an end. Cardinal Schonborn in Vienna stated recently that the time of Christianity in Europe is coming to an end, a Christianity which has achieved great things like cathedrals and wonderful music. He stated, "Contraceptives and abortion, widely accepted, are accelerating the fact that Europe is about to die out." Speaking of the Catholic Church in Austria, he said, "Its decline mirrors that of the rest of Europe and with it the major force protecting the unborn child."
As quickly as possible, the Korea Population requires desperate measures. According to The Korea Times there are more than 1.5 million abortions a year in South Korea compared to only 450,000 babies delivered. In response to this, the government has proposed that the third child in a family be given an advantage in university entrance exams, employment, and financial support for high school and university tuition. Families with more than three children will be given special interest rates on their mortgages. Further pro-life laws on the books may now begin to be enforced.
While the world is experiencing a surge of elderly people and a shortage of children, Britain continues to fund international abortions. Figures from the International Development Department show that in the year ending March 2009, the British government gave 770,000 pounds to Marie Stopes, an international abortion business. I wonder what the logic is behind this policy????
God Bless,
Jerry Novotny, OMI
(Quote) Destruction of the embryo in the mother's womb is a violation of the right to live which God has bestowed on this nascent life. To raise the question whether we are here concerned already with a human being or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact is that God certainly intended to create a human being and that this nascent human being has been deliberately deprived of his life. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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Lifeissues.net NEWSLETTER #488
August 22, 2010
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(TABLE OF CONTENTS):
1. Chilean bishop urges defense of life in order to end 'culture of death'
2. Medical school dean calls for life to be respected at conception
3. Boston Catholic weddings plunged 55% over decade
4. Ten Great Reasons To Have Another Child
5. Filipino Archbishop: Proposed Divorce Bill 'Will Destroy Society'
6. Palliative Care Extends Life, Study Finds
7. Uganda links pornography to HIV-AIDs infection
8. Abortion Stops A Beating Heart
9. Why are we exterminating Down syndrome children if they can bring so much joy?
10. Can Europe Survive Its Population Plunge? Underpopulation Devastating Continent
11. Natural Family Planning Week: New Billings site reponds to success
12. Natural Family Planning Week: It's all about life...
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(Focus on Asia): "Pope repeats call for help for Pakistani flood victims" - Pope Benedict XVI renewed his appeal for help for the victims of flooding in Pakistan during his regular weekly public audience on August 18. "Our solidarity and the concrete support of the international community must not be lacking to these our sorely tried brothers and sisters." http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=7264
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ITEM #1. Chilean bishop urges defense of life in order to end 'culture of death'
Bishop Chomali said that in science and medicine, "the centrality of the human person, and not economic, political or social interests, must be prioritized. Also important is the unrestricted defense of human life, which involves the prohibition of any attack against life, health care and access to it for all human beings according to their needs." The right to health care must include access to basic care and must not be understood as permitting euthanasia or abortion, according to the logic that the "quality of life should prevail over the sacredness of life," the bishop said.
View full article at CNA:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/chilean-bishop-urges-defense-of-life-in-order-to-end-culture-of-death/
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ITEM #2. Medical school dean calls for life to be respected at conception
Dean of the medical school at the University of Buenos Aires, Alfredo Buzzi, spoke out last week explaining that he cannot support the legalization of abortion because "life must be respected from the moment of conception." His comments came in response to a resolution by the university's board to support the legalization of abortion. The board voted 23-1 with 1 abstention to support legalized abortion in the country.
View full article at CNA:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/medical-school-dean-calls-for-life-to-be-respected-at-conception/
Also read: The Moment When New Individual Human Life Begins
http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/kisc/kisc_34lifebegins.html
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ITEM #3. Boston Catholic weddings plunged 55% over decade
The number of Catholic weddings in the United States stood at 355,182 in 1965, rose until the early 1970s, then fell to 292,499 in 1995. The number of Catholic weddings then fell steeply to 191,265 in 2008 -- a decline of 35% in less than a decade and a half.
View full article at Catholic Culture:
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=7224&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CatholicWorldNewsFeatureStories+%28Catholic+World+News+%28on+CatholicCulture.org%29%29
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ITEM #4. Ten Great Reasons To Have Another Child
REASON ONE: Have another child to join with God in the creation of an immortal soul. Parents are given the incredible opportunity to assist God in the creation of an immortal soul. As the late Cardinal Mindszenty said, even the angels have not been given such a grace.
View full article at Voices for Life:
http://voicesforlife.blogspot.com/2010/08/ten-great-reasons-to-have-another-child.html
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ITEM #5. Filipino Archbishop: Proposed Divorce Bill 'Will Destroy Society'
Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma of Cagyan de Oro City has strongly criticized a proposed bill that would legalize divorce in the Philippines and said that the move would destroy the moral fiber of Philippine society. "Legalizing something that is immoral will not make it right, but will instead make it worse," said Archbishop Ledesma. "The sacrament of marriage is something that is meant for a life-long commitment, for the good of the children and the community. It is no longer just an individual kind of freedom because marriage itself is a social contract."
View full article at LifeSiteNews.com:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/aug/10081704.html
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ITEM #6. Palliative Care Extends Life, Study Finds
Comment: First of all, "death panels" were about rationing and denial or limitations of care based on age, disability, etc. Secondly, this article is rather disingenuous because 1. these patients were apparently not automatically denied curative therapy or emergency resuscitation and 2. pain and symptom control are already vital components of oncology (cancer) care-whether or not the prognosis is terminal.
However, the original NEJM article itself states in its conclusion that "Early introduction of palliative care also led to less aggressive end-of-life care, including reduced chemotherapy and longer hospice care. Given the trends toward aggressive and costly care near the end of life among patients with cancer, timely introduction of palliative care may serve to mitigate unnecessary and burdensome personal and societal costs." (NEJM article "Early Palliative Care for Patients with Metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer", online at http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1000678) This is quite different from the NYT article description of palliative care as merely "pain relief and other measures intended to improve a patient's quality of life." -Nancy Valko, RN
View full article at New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/health/19care.html?_r=1&ref=science&pagewanted=print
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ITEM #7. Uganda links pornography to HIV-AIDs infection
Uganda government is concerned about the increase of pornography in the country. It says pornography is contributing to the rise in HIV-AIDS infections. Last year, the country's minister of Ethics and Integrity attacked Congolese sex workers for infecting Ugandans with HIV/AIDs.
Article is located at Afrik News:
http://www.afrik-news.com/article18111.html
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ITEM #8. Abortion Stops A Beating Heart
One such fact is that abortion stops a beating heart. When a women goes into an abortion clinic two hearts are beating, hers and the heart of the baby developing in her womb. When she leaves that clinic, only hers is beating. The heart of the developing baby has been stopped.
Article can be found at Human Events:
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=38524
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ITEM #9. Why are we exterminating Down syndrome children if they can bring so much joy?
One of the cheerier stories to emerge from the World Cup in South Africa concerned the taciturn coach of the winning side, Spain. Vicente del Bosque's 21-year-old second son Alvaro has Down syndrome. But the coach is immensely proud of him -- even though Alvaro has been highly critical of some of his decisions.
View entire two files at LifeIssues.net:
http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/mue/mue_01downsyndrome.html
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ITEM #10. Can Europe Survive Its Population Plunge? Underpopulation Devastating Continent
Europe is dying. The Washington Post, among others, reports that, within a hundred years, there will be the rare German in Germany or Italian in Italy. Some demographers believe it is too late to correct Europe's plunge into extinction. "The fall in the population can no longer be stopped," reported Walter Rademacher of the German Federal Statistics Office.
View entire text at nsideCatholic:
http://www.insidecatholic.com/feature/can-europe-survive-its-population-plunge.html
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ITEM #11. Natural Family Planning Week: New Billings site reponds to success
A recently released five year study showing remarkable success, yet deplorable lack of knowledge among women of the Billings Ovulation Method, has prompted its teachers to launch a new web site.
View entire text at The Record:
http://www.therecord.com.au/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1895&Itemid=27
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ITEM #12. Natural Family Planning Week: It's all about life...
While the Church's strong belief about the relationship between fertility and marriage and family life may be unfashionable, many people are discovering that this is really the expression of an extraordinarily deep insight into the human person: who we are and how we are really meant to relate to each other.
View entire text at The Record:
http://www.therecord.com.au/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1908&Itemid=1
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YOU CAN CHANGE SOCIETY:
1. BE INFORMED: "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6. Visit Lifeissues.net Website for insights into current Life Issues www.lifeissues.net. All prior email Newsletters Archives are located online at http://lifeissues.net/newsletters/mojo.cgi?flavor=archive&list=lifenews&start=0
3. PRAY DAILY: for the courage to be God's presence in society and to strongly support those who are deemed "unworthy of life". "If My people who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14
4. BECOME INVOLVED: Several years ago Fr. Jerry created a project entitled, "Journey for Life into the Heart of Asia". The project appeals for donations to help finance plane travel for lectures and seminars to developing countries in Asia. Strong focus is centered on reaching Asian Catholic Major Seminaries, Universities, Parishes, Hospitals and Family/Pro Life related groups. The lectures place emphasis on "The Asian Family at Crossroads: Life Issues, Trends and Challenges".
For information about no-cost Pro Life Talks to your group in Asia: contact Fr. Jerry at jerry@shirt.ocn.ne.jp.
To become a supportive Missionary participant for this Asian project, kindly send your donations to:
** Fr. Jerry Novotny, OMI
** LifeIssues.net, Editor
** Akebono-cho 1-15-9
** Kochi City, Japan, 780-8072
(or transfer donation directly to ProLife bank account: Jerome Novotny, Shikoku Bank, Asakura Branch, No. 102-1-0080824)
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Contact EDITOR:
Jerry Novotny, OMI
Akebono-cho 1-15-9
Kochi City, Japan, 780-8072
[tel/fax: 088-843-0406]
[email: jerry@lifeissues.net (or) jerry@shirt.ocn.ne.jp]
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Websites by Editor:
English LifeIssues Site: http://www.lifeissues.net,
Japanese LifeIssues Site: http://www.japan-lifeissues.net,
OMI Site: http://www.omijapankorea.net/index.html
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